By Spencer Hall
Earlier this month, many British Columbians sprung forward thanks to Daylight Saving Time, despite calls to ditch the practice.
According to University Canada West, Canadians first began observing Daylight Saving Time in 1918 in an effort to conserve energy during war time and boost productivity by limiting the time people were using electricity. The measure was brought back during World War II and again in 1971 during the energy crisis, where its remained in place, except for in Saskatchewan, the Yukon and in certain areas of Northern B.C.
Arguably, energy consumption — and conservation — has evolved since 1918 and even the 1970s. A paper published in the International Association for Energy Economics Journal suggests that because we use electricity for much more than just lighting these days, keeping the time change in place may actually be causing the public to use more energy from increased use of heating and air conditioning.
Sleep experts have called for the practice to be abolished due to health risks associated with Daylight Saving Time and changes to one’s circadian rhythm. According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, these risks include a higher possibility of heart attack, stroke, and mood disturbances. Some studies have also pointed to increases in fatal car accidents after time changes, which makes sense considering how exhausted most of us feel after manipulating our sleep patterns.
The Province introduced legislation back in 2019 to do away with Daylight Saving Time, but Premier Eby has said the change won’t be enacted until certain states, like Washington. California, and Oregon make the switch to keep the Province’s economy aligned with them.
This reasoning, however, doesn’t make much sense, seeing as much of the B.C. Peace region and the part of the East Kootenays don’t acknowledge the change and are out of line with the rest of the province for half of the year. I would think if these regions could adapt, so could our trade partners in another nation.
